Utah’s ski season is ‘gonna be different’ under coronavirus cloud. Here’s what to expect.

This summer, Nathan Rafferty could barely get a quick “Hi” in before someone would bombard the president and CEO of Ski Utah with the question: Is there going to be a ski season this winter?

To his joy and that of skiers and snowboarders across the state and beyond, the answer is yes. The lifts for all 15 Utah resorts will be running by early December. But Rafferty has had to brace himself for the inevitable follow-up. It’s a query with a much less clear-cut answer.

What will the season look like under the cloud of COVID-19?

“People need to understand — and, I mean, I think they do — there’s nothing you do today that’s the same as what it was pre-March 14th,” Rafferty said while taking a socially distanced interview in a camping chair on a patch of grass outside Ski Utah’s Salt Lake City headquarters. “So it’s gonna be different. It’s also gonna be awesome. But it’s just gonna be different.”

The way Utah resorts have shaped their approach to the 2020-21 season amidst a pandemic is as varied as the snowflakes that they’re hoping fall in abundance this winter. Some now require reservations to ski, others to park and still others to eat. Some will allow only private lessons. Others are giving traditional ski school a green light.

Even those that share a parent company, like Alterra Mountain Compay-owned Solitude and Deer Valley, have slight variations.

The tie binding them all together is that none know exactly what’s going to work. They just know they want to avoid the outbreaks and ensuing early shutdowns they suffered in March. So their managers have done their best to lay out a strong foundation with the realization they may have to adjust their approaches as they get deeper into the season.

With that in mind, here is a glimpse of what skiers and snowboarders can expect heading into this season, from the start of their day to the end of it. (Hint: fewer choices, longer lines and less time and space for lounging). It might also be considered a checklist of tools to have in hand before heading for the hills. A sack lunch, a full tank of gas and an extra helping of patience are good places to start.

“In a lot of ways, it might be a little bit more soulful ski experience,” Rafferty said. “Back to the reason we all started skiing to begin with, which is for the skiing. And a lot of this ancillary stuff maybe takes a backseat for this year.”

Rise and shine!

The wild men and women plunging down the steep chutes of Snowbird’s Cirque Traverse may have, in previous years, been known as some of the most steely-nerved skiers in Utah. This year, that title goes to anyone bold enough to embark for the mountains on a weekend or powder day without a ski pass or e-ticket in hand.

Eleven of Utah’s 15 resorts will impose a cap on how many skiers and snowboarders they allow on their slopes this season. Most plan to maintain those caps by limiting daily ticket sales. So, on a snowy holiday weekend, it’s foreseeable the mountain could sell out even before the sun comes up. Plus, the walk-up window at many resorts has gone the way of the snurfer. In other words, even if tickets are available, they may not be sold at the ski area.

Park City Mountain Resort takes it a step further by requiring everyone, even its Epic Pass holders, to make an online reservation before allowing them on the mountain. Daily reservations can be made up to a week in advance and pass holders get seven rolling reservations good for any time during the season.

“We recognize that most days of the season it will not be necessary to manage the number of people on our mountains, and that our pass holders may view the reservation system as a hassle,” Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts, which owns PCMR, said in an open letter in August that unveiled the controversial plan. “However, with this program, we are planning for as many contingencies as possible to strive to give you peace of mind knowing you will have the space you need to physically distance and enjoy your time on the slopes.”

Don’t expect those tickets and passes to come cheap, either. Prices have gone up pretty much across the board and some resorts have said they won’t sell through discount sites like Liftopia this season.

Jared Winkler, a spokesperson for Brighton, said that resort won’t be offering most of the mid-week discounts it’s known for.

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure everyone gets the best value,” he said. But, he added, “It’s a premium to be up there, and if people want to be there, they have to pay for it.”

Park and ride

Getting to and from the mountain can be the worst part of a ski trip in a typical winter (hello, tail-light tunnel vision). At a time in which people are asked to avoid sharing enclosed spaces with strangers, it’s not going to get any better.

“Pay attention to social media, look at the website, pay attention to the webcams and, honestly, wake up early,” Brighton’s Winkler advised. “You can’t get to the canyon mouth at 9 and think there won’t be traffic.”

Utah Transit Authority buses will continue to run with reduced capacity and a face-covering requirement. Yet, since no alternative transportation plan for the Cottonwood canyons has been adopted, they will also continue to be stuck behind cars. And this year, with fewer people willing to ride share out of fear of catching the coronavirus, more cars may clog the roads than ever.

Last year, Solitude became the first Utah resort to tackle that issue by instituting a paid parking program that encourages carpooling. It isn’t giving up on that this year, despite the pandemic. It will charge $20 for cars with two or fewer people, $10 for those with three people and $5 for those with four or more.

Adding to the headache, many ski areas also plan to limit their parking. They see it as another tool for keeping guests to a manageable number. Among the resorts expecting to park cars more loosely in their lots are Alta, Brighton, Nordic Valley and Sundance.

Snowbird is actually instituting a reservation system and guests not taking the bus or staying at its lodges will have to claim a parking spot online or via a new app. General manager Dave Fields said that same app will alert people when the lot is nearly full, so they can avoid a fruitless trip up the canyon.

A few other resorts have similar apps in development. Others are also working with the UTA to install signs at the base of the Cottonwood canyons that will have updates on resorts' parking situations.

“If you empower people with information,” Fields said, “they can make choices instead of coming up here and finding out we’re full. That’s something we want to avoid.”

Learning process

The first order of business for those lucky enough to make it up the mountain and into a lot may be to stuff the kids in a ski school and hit the slopes.

Or not.

First, (this is going to be a common theme) most resorts require reservations for their ski and ride schools. Second, shredders age 6 or younger probably will have to take a private lesson. This is due to the difficulties the little ones have getting on and off the lifts on their own.

Third, lessons can no longer be considered an all-day or even half-day solution for skiing parents. The private and semi-private lessons being offered tend to run shorter. Plus, most ski schools are meeting outdoors, and the kiddos no doubt will be ready for a hot cup of cocoa after a couple of hours. That means mom or dad will need to be on hand to unlock the car and turn on the heater (more on that later). And when they’re done with their snack, there will be no place to take the kids but home.

Another stop before the lifts is often the rental shop. Just five resorts — Alta, Beaver Mountain, Cherry Peak, PCMR and Woodward Park City — are allowing rentals without reservations. The others will have guests fill out their paperwork online and secure a pick-up time to reduce contact between staff and skiers.

Once they arrive, customers will no doubt notice Plexiglass barriers separating staff and customers, both of which will be required to wear masks (they are mandatory throughout every resort except when on the slopes). Snowbird has gone as far as to change the way guests try on boots. They will stand instead of sit to reduce touch points.

Additionally, electrostatic sprayers will be used to sanitize gear at most resorts once it is returned.

Lift me up

Finally, the time will come for skiers and riders to step on the snow, strap their planks to their feet and get on the lift that will take them away from all their COVID-19 concerns.

Rather, it will be time to line up, and wait.

This is where people will want to dig into that extra helping of patience they hopefully stuffed inside their jackets, because lift lines are going to be longer this year. Period. Even Dustin Hansen, the owner and general manager of Cherry Peak, a small resort near Logan that rarely sees lift lines, predicts some lag.

“With the amount of traffic resorts are going to see this winter and with COVID protocols, there will be some lines that people will have to deal with,” he said. “Plus [there’s] the spacing, so it’s going to look longer.”

Utah’s resorts are by and large all following the same blueprint when it comes to lifts. Each lift line will have empty “ghost lines” on either side of it to maintain side-to-side social distancing. Visitors' skis and boards will provide front-to-back spacing. At every resort, skiers and riders will be required to wear masks or doubled-up gaiters in lift lines.

Those riding together can go up the lift with their group, provided they’re in the chute together. Singles lines will mostly be a casualty. Yet anyone wanting to ride up alone can do so on a double or triple chair lift and will be placed at the opposite end of the chair from another single on a quad or a six-pack lift.

“There’s no way of trying to maximize the capacity of our lifts,” said Brandon Sessler, general manager of Nordic Valley, which installed a new high-speed six-pack lift this season that will open an extra 50 acres of intermediate and advanced terrain.

The same general rules apply to gondolas and small trams. Snowbird’s famous tram, which usually carries about 100 people per car, will be reduced to 25. All passengers on the tram will have to wear masks — neck gaiters will not suffice.

“We think most people will opt to not wait for it and they’ll go see the chairs,” Fields said. “You can get everywhere on high-speed chairs that the tram takes you.”

Fast food

A few runs on what should be less-crowded slopes may wash away the stress of the morning’s hassles. At some point, though, skiers will have to come back down to the base to answer the growl of their stomachs or one of Mother Nature’s more urgent calls.

“I think that’s where people will see the most change in a ski area,” Rafferty said. “If your plan is to go up and ski for a few hours and you only pop in to go to the restroom, you know, you’ll wear a mask at the bottom, but other than that I think the skiing is going to be remarkably similar [to previous years].”

But, he added, where dining is concerned, “every resort is going to have different individual protocols and it’s going to vary by county, too.”

Generally, skiers and riders can expect more grab-and-go food options, like pre-packed sandwiches or chili in bread bowls. More outdoor seating will be available with patio heaters and fire pits to huddle around. At Powder Mountain, Brighton, Cherry Peak, Beaver Mountain and Woodward PC, guests will be able to place their orders online or on their phones via QR codes (many resorts won’t take cash for payment). Meanwhile, food trucks will be a common site at Sundance, Beaver Mountain and Alta.

And, in a boon to the cash-strapped skier, most resorts plan to turn a blind eye to those who want to bring food from home.

But the midday break is as much about loosening the boots and getting warm as it is about filling the belly, especially on the most blustery days. And that’s going to be an issue.

Less room will be available for skiers in lodges and restaurants with tables spread farther apart and capacities being regulated in an effort to comply with state, county and local coronavirus restrictions. Some will open conference spaces for additional seating. On the other end of the spectrum, Eagle Point near Beaver won’t create any extra seating space but will provide increasingly more ubiquitous grab-and-go options.

Others, such as Snowbasin, Brian Head Resort and Powder Mountain plan to enforce strict time limits on guests. Deer Valley will require reservations in most restaurants. In its Argenta Pub and Moonbeam Lodge, Solitude replaced tables and chairs with standing-only cocktail tables to encourage people to move along more quickly.

What it boils down to, though, is that resorts are counting on many guests taking their breaks in the confines of their cars.

As Alta put it in a message on its website addressing COVID-19 protocols: “We encourage you to consider using your vehicle as your locker room, shelter, and dining establishment.”

Closing time

Exhausted skiers and riders will want to save more than a few crumbs of that extra patience for the end of the day.

The apres ski scene has mostly gone underground, with strict limits on entry or reservations (once again) required in most bars. PCMR, for one, won’t open its full-service bars at all this season, though beer and wine will be available. Solitude also plans to repurpose its Library and St. Bernards bars for the time being.

Without that option, or an alternative place to hang out, most guests will be heading home at the same time. The commute will be long and slow. And if they’ve spent a lot of time in their running car throughout the day, it might be done on a near-empty tank of gas. That could lead to more than a few blown gaskets.

To avoid the worst of the hassles, resorts are encouraging people to ski and ride during the week or at off-peak times. If that’s not an option, and the frustrations start stacking up, Rafferty suggests trying to put it all in perspective. Resorts are taking these measures to avoid the outbreaks that caused them to shut down early last March.

“I just only hope people understand that we’re lucky to have skiing at all right now,” he said. “If you don’t get to ski on a powder day or on a Saturday on Martin Luther King weekend, like I said, we’ve got all season to ski. Let’s spread it out. Let’s be smart about the way we do things.”

Tribune staff writer Brian Maffly contributed to this report.